Zelienople, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Zelienople | |
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| Borough | |
 Downtown Zelienople
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| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Butler County |
| Township | Jackson Township |
| Area | 5.6 km² (2.2 sq mi) |
| - land | 5.5 km² (2.1 sq mi) |
| - water | 0.1 km² (0 sq mi) |
| Center | |
| - coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Population | 4,123 (2000) |
| Density | 747.4 /km² (1,935.8 /sq mi) |
| Settled | 1802 |
| - Incorporated | 1840 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Postal code | 16063 |
| Area code | 724 |
| School District | Seneca Valley school district |
 Location of Zelienople in Butler County
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  Location of Zelienople in Pennsylvania
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 Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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Zelienople (IPA: /ˌziːliəˈnoʊpəl/) is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles (45 km) north of Pittsburgh. The population was 4,123 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] Geography
Zelienople is located at (40.791905, -80.141049)[1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.6 km²), of which, 2.1 square miles (5.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.84%) is water.
Zelienople is situated on the left bank of the Connoquenessing Creek, in an area that is rich with coal and iron ore. The elevation is 935 feet (285 m) above sea level.
[edit] History
Zelienople was named for the eldest daughter of Baron Detmar Basse (1762-1836), whose given name was Zelie.[2] Baron Basse arrived in 1802 from Frankfort, Germany, and purchased a tract of 10,000 acres (40 km²) of land in Butler and Beaver counties.
He proceeded to lay out a village, and build his own private residence, a three story castle, complete with towers, turrets and battlements, named "The Bassenheim",[3] which was destroyed by fire in 1842. At the time, Zelie was betrothed to Philip Louis Passavant, and was still in Germany. Extensive preparations were made by Baron Basse, to establish the new home and town in America and prepare it for his daughter's arrival in September of 1807.
Baron Basse sold 5,000 acres (20 km²) of his land to George Rapp, a Bavarian pietist religious leader, who founded the village of Harmony. Baron Basse came to be known as "Dr. Muller". Whether the title of "Doctor" was given to him due a knowledge of medicine, or conferred upon him as a degree, is unknown. He was regarded as an intelligent man, and during the Napoleonic era represented Frankfort as an ambassador to Paris. Basse returned to Germany in 1818, leaving his business to his son-in-law, Philipp Passavant.
Philip Passavant opened the first store in 1807, and managed it for 41 years, until he gave it to his son, C. S. Passavant. By 1826, there were fifty houses in Zelienople, and three churches. The population in 1870 was 387, and in 1890, it had grown to 639. In 1879, the first passenger train arrived to the town, substantially increasing the growth and commerce. In 1880, the American Union Telegraph Company established an office in Zelienople. The Federalists appointed Andrew McClure, a local tavern-keeper, as the first postmaster of Zelienople in the first decade of 1800. Christian Buhl was named the first justice of the peace in 1840. [4]
Early Zelienople commerce supported the local agriculture community, as there was no viable means of transportation. In 1840 Zelienople was incorporated as a Borough. In 1878 a railroad was built through Zelienople. From this time there has been moderate expansion of industry, residences, and local government. There has been a Volunteer Fire Department since about 1850. A full-time Borough Manager was hired in 1994. The growth of Pittsburgh to the south along with the building of Interstate 79, provides a challenge to Zelienople in coping with these changes through the 21st century.[5]
[edit] Culture and events
Every year, Zelienople hosts a Fourth of July parade through downtown. The Strand Theater is a performing arts center on Main Street that is currently under restoration, and will eventually host concerts and films for the borough and surrounding area.
For the past 44 years, one of the major annual events is the town's summer Horse Trading Days Arts and Music Festival. Crafters, vendors, entertainers and tourists are drawn from the entire tri-state area to participate in the family-oriented event that features concerts, games, contests, shopping, food, and a 5-mile (8 km) run/walk event. The festival funding comes from local residents, businesses, the police and fire department, Lancaster Township, and the Zelienople borough.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 4,123 people, 1,956 households, and 1,054 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,938.1 people per square mile (747.4/km²). There were 2,113 housing units at an average density of 993.3/sq mi (383.0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.91% White, 0.39% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.32% of the population.
There were 1,956 households out of which 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.1% were non-families. 41.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 25.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the borough the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $40,250, and the median income for a family was $52,426. The per capita income for the borough was $23,555. About 0.2% of families and 0.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.4% of those under age 18 and 0.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "History of Butler Co., PA", R. C. Brown Co., 1895. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- ^ "Zelienople Borough, Chapter 27", R. C. Brown Co., 1895. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- ^ "Postmasters and Justices", R. C. Brown Co., Publishers, 1895. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- ^ "About Zelienople", Zelienople Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Zelienople Historical Society
- Official Homepage for the Borough of Zelienople
- Web Hosting and Business Directory for Zelienople
- Zelienople Annual Horse Trading Days
- Strand Theater
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